Great Britain -- History -- Poetry; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Sources
[822] “Marched towarde London: but the kyng with his power taried
and met him at Saint Albone’s. Where whyle the kyng and he wer about
a treatye, therle of Warwyke set vpon the king’s army and slew the
duke of Somerset, the earle of Northumberland, the lorde Clyfforde,
and other, and in conclusyon got the victorye, and the duke was made
lorde protector, which so greved the quene and her accomplices, that
pryuye grutches and open dissemblyng neuer ceased tyl the duke, and his
allyes were glad to flee the field and realme, he in to Irelande, they
to Calayes: whence they came agayne with an army whereof the earle of
Salysbury was leader, and marched toward Coventry wher the king than
was and had gathered an armye to subdue them, and encountred them at
Northampton, and fought and lost the fyelde and was taken hym selfe,
the duke of Buckyngham, the erle of Shrewsbury, the vycount Beaumont,
the lord Egermount, and many other of his retynue slayn yf no man haue
any mind to any of these noble personages because they were honourably
slaine in battayle, let sum man els take the booke, for I mynde to say
sum what of this duke of Somerset.”
☞ Whyle he was deuysyng thereon, and every man sekyng farder notes, I
loked on the cronicles, and fyndyng styll fyeld vpon fyeld, and many
noblemen slaine, I purposed to haue ouerpassed all, for I was so wearye
that I waxed drowsye and began in dede to slumber: but my imaginacion
styl prosecutyng this tragical matter, brought me such a fantasye.
Me thought ther stode before vs, a tall man’s body full of fresshe
woundes, but lackyng a head, holdyng by the hande a goodlye chylde,
whose brest was so wounded that his hart might be seen, his louely face
and eyes disfigured with dropping teares, his heare through horrour
standing vpryght, his mercy crauing handes all to be mangled, and al
his body enbrued with his own bloud. And whan through the gastfulnes
of this pyteous spectacle, I waxed afeard, and turned away my face,
me thought there came a shrekyng voyse out of the wesand pype of the
headles bodye, saying as foloweth. 1559, 63. See Induction to the
legend of Plantagenet Duke of York, p. 183.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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